Effective Logo Design Principles | Creating a logo is simple, right? Not really! There’s more to creating a brand’s visual representation than simply placing a name in a square and calling it a day. Your logo is the face of your business and the visual representation of everything you stand for. So then why is it so often considered an afterthought?

Entrepreneurs love logos. And why not? A well designed business logo says to the world that you’re here, and are ready for serious business. An effective logo can build loyalty between your business and your clients, reinforce a brand identity, and provide the professional look of an established enterprise. For those who are about to embark on a brand design journey, or think it’s time for their company’s visual identity to undergo an overhaul, we’ll get down to the nitty gritty of what makes a logo design effective and we’ll also guide you through some of the principles and best practices of creating an iconic brand identity.

Use Your Company Or Product Name | Effective Logo Design Principles

The point of having a logo is to make your business or product name stick in the client’s mind. While there are some abstract logos, like the Chevron V’s or the Nike swoosh, that are instantly identifiable, that’s because they’ve been around forever. Unless you want to spend money to add ornamental artwork to your design later on, get a logo that people can actually read. That doesn’t mean a logo can’t have an image and text. Once the company gains recognition, the text can be left out.

Less Is More | Effective Logo Design Principles

It’s essential to have a balanced combination of simple and quirky — you want your logo to stand out, but you don’t want your potential clients to have to sit and stare, analyzing the logo. If you’re trying to grab the attention of potential clients and remind current ones of your reach, a busy or cluttered logo isn’t going to do your business any favors. Some of the most successful logos have been the simplest.

Keep It Flexible | Effective Logo Design Principles

In the digital age, where the average logo appears on various devices and across social media, you must come up with something that transcends paper. Your brand identity communicates with your target audience online and offline, so your logo design must be flexible and adaptable to any of these formats. You must ask yourself, how does it look on letterhead or a business card? How would it look on my store front or in a magazine?

Be Unique | Effective Logo Design Principles

The last thing you want from your business logo is to have it mistaken for that of a competitor. So when considering logo design, it’s vitally important to keep it original. Look at what’s out there and find an opening for something new. Not only will original art leave a more memorable impression about your business, but it’ll set your business apart from others. Designing a unique logo, however, isn’t all about avoiding imitation, but also about creating something out-of-the-box. It’s tempting to just throw an industry icon on the page, but it’s important to think creatively.

Say It With Color | Effective Logo Design Principles

Using color in a logo is a wise idea, as it can help your logo stand out. Of course, most designers will keep in mind that you will need your logo to work in gray scale as well for those times you’ll print something in black and white. Keep in mind, though, that every color has a different meaning and can bring nuance to your message — don’t fall into the trap of sending out the wrong message because of a simple brush stroke. Bright and bold colors may grab someone’s attention, but could also seem brash; muted tones exude sophistication, but could be overlooked.

Avoid Being Trendy | Effective Logo Design Principles

Logos should stand the test of time. It is an important investment, so the design should stay true to the nature of your brand and vigorously avoid passing trends. It’s true that there are some rare trends that have a degree of longevity them. But most don’t. While it is helpful to stay up to date on design trends, it’s a much better idea to stay true to a brand’s overarching personality. Ask yourself whether your logo still work 5 years from now. 10? Or 20? That’s a sign of a good design.

Share the love:00000

If you enjoy reading our blog, would you mind taking a moment to rate it? Thanks for your support!

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Name

Email

Testimonials

I had been following Media Novak’s work for a while now and was always impressed with their logo work. The logo designs they came up with based on my wishes for what I wanted it to look like were above and beyond what I had imagined. The process itself was smooth and so easy. I gave input and they took it on board and applied it to the next design. I would highly recommend them any day!

Chantal Lachance-Gibson Photography

I cannot begin to say enough about Mark & the team at Media Novak. Their customer service has been TOP NOTCH! They have gone way beyond my expectations and dreams and have put together a website for me that I am so proud of… I actually can’t believe that it’s mine! If you are looking for a new website or new branding then look no further… contact these guys today!

Myrick Cowart – Photographer

Thank you thank you thank you! I really appreciate all of your help and your quick replies and editing, and well, everything. I will DEFINITELY be referring your team! I love my new logo and I love that it is completely my own and completely encompasses my brand. I really appreciate all of the time and effort your team has put into this project. Thank you again and again!

Bethany Petersen – Photographer

I decided to hire Media Novak after seeing a friends logo that I really liked. I sent them my ideas but I actually preferred one of their original concepts over my own ideas! They really understood the look and feel I was trying to achieve and I am delighted with my new logo! I found the process to be really enjoyable and smooth and emails were answered very quickly… a big thumbs up from me!

Karen McGowran – Photographer

Media Novak were helpful and listened to me as the client… never once tried to push their likes onto me… but they do offer good advice. I think what has mattered most to me was once we went live, they were very much still around to iron out little problems that only became noticeable to myself with the daily running of a website and a blog! I would highly recommend them to other businesses!

Jo-Ann Stokes – Photographer

Media Novak designed a beautiful website for me and I’m very satisfied with it. They listened to what I wanted and tailored the site to fit me and I really appreciate that. Their prices are reasonable and the quality is fantastic. I would highly recommend this company.

About Us

MediaNovak is a creative design agency that specializes in web design, online marketing, graphic design and corporate identity solutions. We started our company with some basic ideals—offer our customers exceptional design, while delivering a positive customer experience.

These ideals have helped grow our business and drive customers to our door. A majority of our business comes simply from “word of mouth” referrals—one customer telling another of the experience that we offer here. We consider this the ultimate compliment.